iPhone App turns croakers into singers

Smart phone owners who only download apps to play games are missing out. Apps which are small, downloadable programs bring a lot of functionality to your favorite device. I rely on free or paid apps all the time to identify songs on the radio (SoundHound), help me find a restaurant (Zagat), and set TV recordings when away from home (DirecTV).

This week I’ve been trying a more ambitious app, one that promises to improve my terrible signing voice. It’s called Voice Builder and it sells for $4.99 in the Apple App Store.

Created by professional voice coach Gary Catona (who says he’s trained Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli, Sade, Usher, and many more), the system focuses on vocalizing vowel sounds, sliding up in pitch and then back down. On-screen instructions tell the student how to sit and position his or her head. There’s even a graphic to show how the mouth should open for each sound.

If students aren’t sure whether or not they’re doing an exercise correctly, they can watch included videos of Catona himself performing them. It’s as close as an app can come to duplicating the experience of being in the same room with a good teacher.

I’ve learned several things in my short time training with the Voice Builder app. For one, there’s no shortcut to karaoke success. I’d love to get an app that turns me into a talented song-belter overnight, but learning a skill takes time. The app suggests students work with it for at least 20 minutes each session multiple times per week.

The app also isn’t a joy to use. It doesn’t have you singing Journey numbers or anything you’d recognize. It’s all about vowel vocalizations. But I can feel my voice control and confidence increasing as I use it. For anyone willing to put the time in and learn some new skills from their phone, give Voice Builder a try.

Follow TROY DREIER at http://twitter.com/TDreier or e-mail him at loggedon@mac.com.